About this episode

Marcus Luther shares strategies to foster a sense of belonging in the classroom from the first day of school.

Do you want to build a vibrant classroom community this year, but you’re not sure where to start? Research shows it’s well worth the effort—and the first week of school is the perfect time to lay that foundation. When students feel a strong sense of belonging at school, they tend to be more motivated to learn and achieve higher academic outcomes. In this first back-to-school episode from School of Practice, teacher Marcus Luther shares a simple activity that helps him get to know his students from day one, and sets the tone for the year ahead. Then, he shares two easy strategies for keeping that feedback practice going, so you can continue to build belonging and engagement all year long. Related resources: Learn more about this episode A First-Week Survey That Fits on an Index Card Collecting and Using Student Feedback Throughout the Year Monthly Pulse-Check Template: Ask Your Students How Class is Going Creating a Cycle of Student Feedback Making Schoolwide Use of Student Surveys The Value of Soliciting Student Feedback Improving Teaching with Expert Feedback – From Students Research: Strengthening School Connectedness to Increase Student Success Research: The relationships…

People in this episode

Host: Edutopia

Guest: Marcus Luther

Topics covered

• classroom community
• student belonging
• feedback practices
• engagement strategies
• back-to-school

Keywords

• belonging
• classroom community
• student feedback
• engagement
• academic outcomes

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Edutopia

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• 11 Ways to Improve Teacher Well-Being · June 9, 2026 · 24 min
• Rethinking Zeros in the Grade Book · May 26, 2026 · 24 min

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